To Each Generation ONLY One
by veraklon
Summary: Ever wonder why those wizards and mystics only allowed for one slayer at a time? Now, everyone learns the hard way why there is only supposed to be one Chosen One. Post Not Fade Away ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

Let me apologize for the story here, then the story gone, now the story back. My computer is acting weird and has made it its life mission to drive me insane.

Most of the characters below are copyrighted and owned by Joss Whedon. This story is in no way to be considered any attempt on my part to claim ownership or anything else like that… though if he wants to give them to me, I'll be more than happy to take them off of his hand. Also, the story below is fictional. Unless specifically intended, no actual persons and/or events were used as example.

And before I forget, I am tentatively going to rate the overall story "T" for language, violence and adult situations, but I reserve the right to take it up to "MA" if necessary.

I have referenced several different sources for my story, but in most cases all novels, comic books and/or other works, excluding both television series (B:tVS and A:tS), have been ignored.

This will be a long term project. I hope to update in a consistent, regular manner, but cannot promise anything.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy it.

PROLOGUE

If someone tried hard enough, they could almost see it.

The Los Angeles skyline used to be a sight to see. Restaurants and hotels boasted views that were unmatched, helping to drive the demand, and ultimately the price, up. The city never slept, much like another city on the opposite coast, and the lights from the millions of windows and cars and other manmade sources helped create the illusion that the stars came from the city rather than the night sky. It had been beautiful and romantic and sometimes a bit frightening. Now it was just scary.

Anyone looking at the view would have to agree it was much different now. Sure, there was still light, but now it came mostly from the fires set about the city. The remaining denizens of L.A., those that had been unable to escape before the walls were put up, seemed more wary about using electricity to attract attention at night. And the buildings? Once tall and majestic, works of true art and inspiration now were lucky to still be standing over a few stories high. Fights between gods and dragons tended to be a bit hard on the foundation.

Luckily, the dragons were gone now. From the reports that had been pieced together from all of the conflicting stories and descriptions, a vampire, Angel most likely though Spike was a distinct possibility, had slain the largest of the fire-breathing beasts in the initial encounter, leaving only a few smaller ones to wreck havoc, but the overall amount of damage was considerably less than what might have been. Small bands of resistance fighters had risen up and found ways to destroy the smaller beasts, allowing for the various ground forces to meet without fear from an aerial attack.

It had been sound tactics, but the sheer weight of the demonic onslaught had driven back any hopes of holding the city for any length of time. For every victory, there had been ten defeats. For every life saved, ten died trying to protect it. There was no way to win, not under the current direction of fighting. All that was left to anyone was to try and escape the city, to outrun the certain death that awaited them if they stayed. In less than thirty days after the fighting began, Los Angeles, California had fallen.

The U.S. Government had taken over at that point. There had been an immediate media blackout and all escapees from the city had been taken immediately into quarantine. A cover story of a giant earthquake was put out over all channels, and the military took every precaution about hiding the fact of what was actually going on, though no one outside of a very select few really new the truth. Interrogations began immediately, and anyone under any type of suspicion was locked up. Once locked up, there was almost no hope of salvation.

It was only after several on the sub-terrestrials had been apprehended and locked up that the Government realized what it was they were up against. Those few remaining officials that had weathered The Initiative fiasco were brought in to advise the situation. Names were given, and a search was sent out for people that could actually help. That's when the real scope of how bad things were started to finally sink in.

Calls went out immediately for Riley Finn and his entire team to return from assignment in South America, as well as for Graham Miller and squad to return from Eastern Europe. Neither team was able to be reached. When investigated, both teams had vanished. No one was left. With all experienced military personnel unable to be located, other possibilities had to be decided upon.

Buffy Anne Summers: the Slayer. The first civilian name on the list, but Sunnydale was gone. Literally wiped off the face of the Earth. No immediate way to contact her, and that was assuming she was alive. And everyone else that she might be associated with or might lead to any way of getting word to her was gone, too. Willow Rosenberg. Alexander Harris. Rupert Giles. All missing, as well. Worse, not only could they not contact Buffy, but those were the other names on the list.

The situation was becoming desperate.

No.

Desperate was too kind of a word.

The situation was fucked.

Pure and simple.

In an act of true lunacy, the military began looking through all possible resources that they might call upon. No stone was left unturned. Anyone with any possible knowledge or understanding of the situation was considered.

It was then that they found Ethan Rayne sitting in a cell at the Supermax Federal Prison in Florence, Colorado. Per his rap sheet, it showed that prisoner 456826C, classified as a low level warlock, had been arrested in Sunnydale by Captain Riley Finn during his time with The Initiative. Even better was that Rayne had previous dealings with several of the persons previously considered for aid regarding the L.A. problem, specifically Buffy Summers.

Ethan Rayne was immediately pardoned pending his aid and assistance regarding dealing with the sub-terrestrial threat and was summarily brought back to California.

And that's when the real problems began.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER ONE:

Dawn's Point of View

"You're an idiot, you know that!" the woman's voice carried easily.

"Maybe, but I was worried about you!" came back the reply. Definitely masculine.

The door into the kitchen had been left open, much to the discomfort of the four figures left in the living room of the small, two-bedroom house. The fight had been going on nearly fifteen minutes, not nearly long enough for the record between the two in the kitchen, but plenty of time for it to be awkward to anyone caught listening in.

"Buffy…" the masculine voice from the kitchen had dropped, no longer yelling. Definitely going for the softer, kinder approach. _He is an idiot_, thought Dawn, her gaze catching that of the young woman sitting on the couch across from her. Kennedy smiled back, though you could tell it was forced.

"Don't 'Buffy' me, Spike." Her voice was getting louder. "I'm telling you, you almost blew the whole thing!" At its current volume, it wouldn't have mattered that the door was open or not. "You and Angel had no idea of what was going on... of what I was doing in Rome."

"But it was over a year ago and…"

"Enough, Spike!" Buffy's voice carried the ring of finality. "No more. Just leave me alone about it." From Dawn's vantage point, she watched as Spike opened his mouth, but seemingly decided better of it and stormed out of the kitchen into the waiting group. Following behind, Buffy walked into the living room and smiled apologetically.

For possibly the thousandth time, Dawn wondered as to why Buffy had not simply told Spike and Angel… Hell, everyone a part of what was going on, the truth about her time with the Immortal in Rome. She just let everyone assume she was shacking up with the guy, when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Spike was suddenly standing in front of her, bringing her out of her thoughts. Dawn tried to smile for him, to put on a brave face, but she knew he'd see right through it. She hated lying to the ones that should've been allies and friends, but Buffy had made her promise to not say a word.

He looked so sad. "Tell me, Little Bit. Talk to me about Rome. Tell Uncle Spike what you did last year that's such a secret."

"It had pretty cathedrals," she began. "And the paintings were really nice." She knew it sounded lame, but it was all she could think to do. Spike did smile… and it looked less forced than the one Kennedy had given her earlier, but not by much.

Finally, Spike just shook his head. As he pulled a cigarette from his coat pocket, he glanced over his right should at Buffy. "Angel said you'd not tell me, either." He lit the cigarette and took a deep puff on the foul smoke that now would linger in their home for the next week or so. "C'mon, Illyria."

At the woman's name, Dawn immediately felt cold once again. Buffy hadn't left the kitchen door open by accident, but rather so she was never out of sight from the strange woman with the face of a fallen ally. Dawn watched as Buffy, Kennedy and Jacqueline, all three of whom were slayers, watched carefully as Illyria stood and walked towards Spike and the front door. She had not said a word since arriving with the bottle-blonde vampire nearly thirty minutes earlier.

As the door opened, revealing the cool night air into the house, Spike smiled. "It is good to see you, Buffy. You too, Dawn." He added almost as an afterthought. "When you finally want in on the L.A. fight, give me a call. Figure a few hundred or so slayers ought to end the war soon enough." Dawn watched as Buffy smiled, her face holding in check any feelings she might have, until the door closed.

As the front door clicked shut, Jacqueline jumped quickly to the door and threw the deadbolt, cunningly crafted like a crucifix, closed. Kennedy smiled with sympathy towards Dawn as she reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a tiny cell phone, obviously about to give the "all clear" sign to the rest of the team waiting outside.

"That… thing scares me." Buffy spoke into the silence, clearly meaning Illyria and not Spike. Dawn turned to meet the hard gaze of her sister. "She makes me think of Glory." Dawn shivered at the name.

Wanting to change the subject, Dawn moved closer to her sister for a moment of private word. "Why didn't you tell Spike the truth, Buffy?" She continued on before she might get cut off or lost her nerve. "He could have helped. Angel, too. Even that… that… whatever she is could have done something to help us."

Buffy darted a look over Dawn's shoulder, presumably at Jacqueline. "Dawn. You know why. We stick to the plan." Buffy reached out and brushed a stray hair from Dawn's face, a gesture that both irritated and pleased Dawn all at the same time. "Giles said to wait. We wait."

Dawn dropped her shoulders. She wanted to argue so much more, but the knock at the front door interrupted her thoughts.

Bam. Bam, bam, bam. Bam. Bam.

It was the correct code, but Kennedy and Buffy still both picked up weapons from somewhere in the room, almost making them seem to have appeared like magic. The third slayer nodded and quickly unbolted the door, allowing the four others from outside into the room before slamming the door shut and re-bolting it.

Chao-Ahn entered the room first and quickly took up a position by the far window. She barely said a word. Next in was Xander. Dawn tried to forget about the high-powered assault weapon strung across his back. Behind him came Hilary, another new slayer picked up in the last few months, that walked through the room and into the hallway, seemingly heading for the bathroom. Willow trailed in behind the others, her normally animated face quiet and reserved.

Xander dropped his jacket on the chair beside the door before he shook what appeared to be flakes of snow from his black hair. Turning his grin on Dawn, he moved quickly over towards the kitchen and the freshly brewed pot of coffee. It never failed to bring a smile to her face, his eyes… well one good eye and one glass eye on her, even in the worst of situations.

"Clear." Chao-Ahn suddenly said into the quiet of the room, followed by a "Clear" from the back of the house. Hilary clearly had checked more than just the bathroom.

"Clear in the kitchen." Xander suddenly spoke into the silence. It was enough that Dawn felt her smile grow wider. Her glance to both Willow and Buffy showed each of them had a grin, as well.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER TWO:

Buffy's Point of View

"Do we have any idea about where Faith and her team are?" Xander asked, his gaze never leaving the map spread across the table. When no immediate answer was forthcoming, he looked up and glanced about the room.

Buffy shrugged. "The telephone lines are either down or monitored in that area of the state, so we have no real way of knowing." She turned and watched as her best friend in the world laughed and poked fun at Dawn, the smell of burnt eggs slowly wafting into the room. "Besides," her gaze returned to Xander, "we're not moving until we hear from Giles."

"What about Andrew and his crew?" Buffy looked up at Xander's questions and pointed at the map. "We'll hear from them when they call."

Xander grimaced and resumed his study of the map. "Well, I hope we get some type of intel before too long. I hate to think we're going to trust this street map of L.A. to get us to where we need to be."

"We'll be fine, grumpy pants." Came the sudden exclamation from within the kitchen. Willow chose that moment to step into the living room, escaping the quickly rising amount of smoke and acrid odor of sulfur. _What a wonderful smell for the house_.

"Sy mort'oss." The redhead quickly gestured almost negligently behind her head, her fingers almost playing an imaginary piano, when suddenly there was a quick intake of air within the kitchen, the smell and smoke suddenly vanishing into the hush. "All done."

Buffy couldn't help but smile at the dumbfounded look that Dawn had when she came tumbling out of the kitchen, landing at Willow's feet.

"No, sweet child," Willow was suddenly in theatrical mode, her pose like a demented senator of ancient Rome and her voice deep like some Shakespearean actor, "worship not at my feet. Though chocolate would not be rejected."

"Why the happy, Will?" Buffy asked as she leaned down to help Dawn up from the floor.

In a twirl of her skirt, her friend just smiled and danced across the room. "No reason." Hilary chose that moment to make her appearance from the bathroom, her blonde hair still dripping from the shower.

"No reason?" she laughed. "And Kennedy is like this, too, for no reason?" _Ah. The light had suddenly been shed_. Buffy tried ever so nonchalantly to cover the grin she knew was plastered across her face as Willow's face quickly turned nearly as red as her hair.

Chao-Ahn decided to take pity on Willow's discomfort. "Breakfast?" she asked simply. Willow gratefully turned back towards Xander, Dawn and Buffy and smiled apologetically.

"I think maybe we should have cereal again." Dawn sniffed as Willow continued. "I kinda kept distracting Dawnie and, well, breakfast was ruined."

Buffy sighed as Xander looked up at the women surrounding him. "Nice to know that the future rests in our capable hands, isn't it."

Buffy was glad that someone had to go out for breakfast, in a perverse sort of way. It was nice to have people around you that you could trust, but after a while, there seemed to be no easy way to find time for yourself, especially with four women and one man hiding out in a two-bedroom house.

With Willow, Kennedy and Dawn on breakfast duty, Hilary asleep in the bedroom and Jacqueline and Chao-Ahn patrolling the perimeter of the neighborhood. That just left her and Xander in the living room, and he was still studying the map quietly. That left her to just sit back and relax for a moment, the first real chance she'd had since Spike and guest had showed up last night.

She tried not to think too hard on the hurtful words both had said last night, but neither he, nor Angel a few months back, seemed to be able to grasp the fact that she was a grown woman and able to see or do whatever… or whoever, for that matter… that she wanted. Both were so hurt by the idea that she could be with the Immortal that they'd nearly ruined everything, all the plans that she and Giles and everyone else had worked so hard on this plan. She glanced over at Xander and smiled as she remembered how he had been the one to put everything together.

"_It's the Immortal, Buff." _

_Out of the blue, Xander had stated what now to him was an obvious answer as he threw the book he'd been reading onto the desk. Giles had immediately taken offense at his former student's treatment of the book, one of the few remaining from the old Watcher's headquarters, and had quickly pulled his eyeglasses from his face to give Xander a stern lecture, when Faith had grabbed Giles' arm._

"_Keep going." Buffy had asked, her eyes darting to Faith in a silent thank you. _

"_Well," Xander reached out and tapped the book he'd just thrown. "Seems that Mr. I-Can't-Ever-Die there lives every moment at the exact same time. He's like one of those prophets from DS9." He smiled triumphantly. "That's why no one can beat him. He knows what you're gonna do before you do it because he remembers you doing it."_

_Buffy had been speechless. "Fascinating." Was all Giles had said as he quickly put his glasses back on and started reading the book. _

_Willow had been quicker to catch on. "So… if he lives in the future at the same time as the present, he can tell us the end result before we start."_

_Definitely headache time. "But, and this is a huge but. Gigantic, even. But, if he knows everything already, how can we trick him for the information?" _

_It was an interesting idea, but how do you trick someone out of knowing what they already know?_

Buffy continued to smile. It figured that Star Trek would be the basis for the most masterful plan Xander Harris had ever come up with. And it had worked, too. So far, anyway. Everything that the team had put together for the mission had been accomplished, but knowing the end result didn't mean that the road trip along the way wasn't going to be painful.

Neither Spike nor Angel knew that she had been watching them when they came after her in Italy. They had no idea that she had purposefully instructed Andrew to betray them to get Dana, who was so important for the plan to work. It was all stretched so thin, like the plot of a badly written television show, so much that even with the Immortal's words on what was to come, she often doubted that she'd asked enough questions. Or even the right questions.

"Buffy!" Xander called out, breaking her from her own musings. "Turn the volume up quick!" Xander was running for the television, his eyes riveted to the silent screen. Fumbling with the remote in her lap, she quickly pressed the mute button, her own eyes now trapped by the spectacle.

"…peat, the Governor of California has been arrested by the military police. Initial reports are that the Governor is being charged with treason. W repeat…"

It wasn't necessarily the words that filled the formerly quiet room that had both of them riveted to the television nor was it the scene of the soldiers leading the Governor into the military base that had been erected outside of Los Angeles. Standing to the left of the speaker at the podium answering questions from the media stood Ethan Rayne.

"Buffy?" Xander asked, his voice sounding almost lost.

"Uh huh."

"Didn't the Immortal say that the world was doomed if Rayne lived?"

"Uh huh."

"Didn't Andrew report that Dana had killed Rayne like you ordered?"

"Uh huh."

"We're doomed, aren't we?" Xander asked.

Buffy wanted to cry. All of the lies, all of the plans, all of the heartache had been for nothing. "Uh huh."

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER THREE

Riley's Point of View

The black market assault rifle felt cool in Riley's hands, despite the California heat pressing into him from every angle. It seemed that there was simply no relief from the sun, especially in what was now nothing more than an empty wasteland. In fact, if it wasn't for the highway stretching off into the horizon, he could have been almost anywhere else in the world. But he and his team were back where he least wanted to be: Sunnydale. Or more accurately, what was left of Sunnydale.

There were times when he could scarcely believe that his former girlfriend had been the instrument of such destruction, leaving only a crater where once sat a thriving California town. Hellmouth, indeed.

Resuming his careful scan of the area, Riley was assured that he and his team were the only ones in the general vicinity. They had successfully escaped notice from the guards and sentry posts farther up the highway, preventing spectators from visiting the Earth's newest attraction.

Of course, that was unless you counted L.A., but who wants to die during a vacation?

"Bravos, report." Riley whispered into his earpiece. With not even so much as a hint of static, seven voices suddenly chirped in, perfectly in sync with one another. All was clear, or at least, as clear as it was going to be.

Taking one last moment to scan the outlying perimeter, Riley stood quickly from his position on the hill and moved down towards the highway… or, to where the highway ended and the crater began. His rifle always at the ready. According to the stories, this was where Buffy and the other slayers stopped to survey their work.

Rumors had reached him even as far as South America about the magical workings in Sunnydale, California. The Government had been clueless, even after Maggie Walsh's vision, of what had happened. But to him it had been obvious. It had been Buffy. He had known, deep inside, that Buffy and crew had been a part of what had happened, just as he knew somehow that she had survived the chaos. It just didn't seem likely that they could fail.

And then came that fateful day several months later when he no longer had to rely on rumor, as he and his crew were found by Willow and a new slayer. _Now there were more than just Buffy and Faith, there were hundreds, maybe thousands. _ Over the course of the next week, sitting in what passed for a bar in the jungle villages of Brazil, Willow had laid out the plan.

_Riley, Sam and the rest of his squad had been AWOL ever since._

"Are we a go?" a soft, feminine voice asked from his right. Glancing towards the crater once again, _damn, but it was huge_, Riley shook himself out of his momentary jaunt down memory lane and moved over towards his wife, Samantha, and the figure kneeling near the edge that she was personally guarding.

He nodded, "As good as we're going to get." He couldn't help but look back towards where he knew his team was protecting their flank. "Are we sure this is necessary?"

His wife shrugged, her face a mask of tranquility but for the sparkle in her eyes. "Ask our cargo, o'fearless leader."

"Hm? Oh, yes. Quite right." Rupert Giles slowly stood up from his examination of the enormous hole. Though still in pretty good shape for an older gentleman, Riley could see the strain of years were slowly catching up to Buffy's long time confidant and Watcher.

Almost without possibly realizing what he was doing, Riley watched as the Englishman slowly took off his glasses and then searched through his pockets for a handkerchief to wipe the lenses clean. Once his glasses were perched once again upon his nose, he lifted his gaze, eyes squinting from the sun overhead, and looked earnestly at Riley.

"We've got to see if it survived." Was all that he said.

Samantha smiled and started pulling out the rope from her backpack. "Looks like we're going hiking."

"Looks that way." Riley answered.

Giles was smart enough to stand out of the way as Riley and Sam, she actually preferred to be referred to as Sam though he often thought of her as Samantha, quickly prepared the rope that they'd brought along to move safely down the crater's side. Within moments, the safety line was secured and the rope was tossed out into the open space, falling into the shadows of the lower reaches of the cliff's edge.

"Bravos One, Five and Six. Hold line." Sam suddenly barked into her comlink. "Two, Three and Four. Fall back to the crater for overhead visual. Bravo Seven. Please join the sight seeing team."

Riley laughed. Giles only smiled, albeit hesitantly. He obviously didn't understand the joke, and there was no reason for him to. Sam caught his eye as they both turned away from Giles to watch as a young woman, more of a girl really, quickly trotted to where they waited.

She snapped to attention, although without a salute, when she was drew near. Glancing at the three figures before her, Riley watched as she pulled the goggles off of her face and pulled the helmet off. "Ready to go, sir."

"Good, Lord." Giles had finally caught the joke. "Vi. What are you doing here?"

The young woman's face shown with mischief as she looked over at Giles' look of disbelief. "You didn't think either Faith or Buffy were gonna let you near the Hellmouth without a slayer at the ready, did you?" She glanced from Sam to Riley before looking the Watcher straight in the eye. "Besides, from what I can tell, this is the easiest of the jobs to pick from."

"You mean to tell me that you've been here on this mission the whole time?" Giles asked in wonder.

Riley took pity on Vi as he felt that Giles' voice had risen just a touch too loud for the situation. "We've had her in hiding in case of trouble." Riley held firm as Giles looked back at him. "We can handle a lot, but with everything that this plan depends on, we felt a surprise of the slayer variety might be a safe bet."

"Rupert." Sam took over. "We'd rather have her here and not need her than to need her and she not be here." Sam smiled mischievously as she let in the killing blow. "Besides, we know that you had initially asked if Buffy could come along."

Riley watched as Giles stood taller, his face taken aback at hearing that formerly private conversations were public knowledge. "Er. Well. Yes. I agree. A slayer. But…"

Riley stepped forward, enough time had been spent on the fun at Giles' expense. Buffy will have hated to have missed that. "Let's go. Nothing to do but move forward…" He glanced at the older man. "Unless you're calling the mission off?"

It wasn't really a question. Riley knew how important this particular part of the mission was, even if there were others… the Government, most notably… that felt that this kind of objective could wait for a later time, after the enemy was stopped.

Riley looked over at Sam and Vi as he readied the rope. Sam west first, having actually been trained as a soldier, before Vi scooted over the edge of the ravine and into the crater.

Information was too damn important, especially when having it could prevent more lives from being lost in the long run.

"Your turn, Mr. Giles." Riley tried not to take some small amount of pleasure as the Englishman seemed to gulp before grasping onto the rope and making his way over the side.

_To be continued…_


End file.
